


It All Fades Away

by WhatTheDickinson



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-02-02 06:30:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12721401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatTheDickinson/pseuds/WhatTheDickinson
Summary: In a world where everyone is born with their soulmate’s first words to them inked on their skin, Darcy’s words are confusing at best and tragic at worst.





	1. Part 1

When the cheery delivery room nurse saw the words that wrapped around the new born baby’s hip, the smile slid from her face and her face turned solemn while she wrapped the baby in the soft yellow blanket.

When the new mother read them for the first time, she wept for her baby girl, and all the experiences she would never have with a soulmate. 

When that baby girl grew to be old enough to understand the words herself, she locked herself in her room for a day straight before coming to three conclusions: 1) she has a soulmate, 2) they will love her, and 3) she won’t meet them till they’re dying. Her life would never be usual or expected, and she wouldn’t be able to spend it with her soulmate by her side. 

When she opened the door and her mother saw the evidence of tears in the crumpled tissues and the evidence of the anger in the torn pillows, she gathered her daughter gently in her arms and said “Darcy, baby, this is a gift in its own way. Live your life how you want to, and know that towards the end of it all, there’s someone waiting for you.” 

And that’s what Darcy did. 

When the teasing happened, as it always did, the high school girl tightened her grip on her backpack and her dreams, and reminded herself she had a life to make the most of and shit to get done. If her soulmate would wait that long for her, she wanted them to be proud of what she had done. 

When the time came for her to choose a major and a college, she chose to major in political science and be as much in the middle of things as she could, because if her soulmate would choose to fight battles, she was going to be fighting alongside them in her own way. 

When she got to college, and it seemed as if everyone had someone by their side, she held her words close to her chest and took strength from the truth that her soulmate is out there, waiting for her. She grew strong and tough, and wielded her snark like a dagger. 

When the notice came that she was, in fact, 3 credits short from graduation, she steeled her willpower and her mind, and made the trek to New Mexico, because if her soulmate could travel the world, she could certainly manage crossing the continent. 

When she found out her boss was actually a big clueless softie who needed regular food and sleep assigned to her, she rolled with it, because one day her soulmate will need her to take care of them, and she might as well learn now. It certainly helped that when she showed Jane her words after a night filled with tacos and tequilas, Jane merely hiccuped and said “that sucks” before passing her the bottle.

When the sky opened up and Jane found her soulmate, then lost him, and somewhere along the way they fought a giant fire breathing robot, Darcy stayed sane and stayed on as Jane’s intern, because she still has shit to do, and maybe this whole alien thing is her way to get her foot in the door. 

And when the dust finally, finally, settled, and somehow they ended up back in Avengers Tower, Darcy settled there too, because Pepper fucking Potts offered her a job, and that is the way to get shit done. 

And maybe, if she’s fast, she can get it all done so her soulmate doesn’t have to wait for her any longer than necessary.


	2. Part 2

When the midwife saw the grey smudge of words that smeared across the frail baby’s back, her face softened and her eyes grew sympathetic. War was no stranger to any of them.

When the new mother held her tiny son in her arms, she rejoiced his mere existence, and mourned his meager future. Grey was the tint of his skin and grey was the color of his words, but one she could rub life and color into— the other she could not.

When the baby boy grew but somehow stayed tiny, he decided to become strong, no matter what, so that he could help his soulmate handle whatever battles they faced.

When he was able to read his words on his own, the first word he could read was wait and he knew then that he would learn how to wait better than anyone else and would wait as long and as patiently as his soulmate needed him to. 

When he showed Bucky his words, he showed them proudly, because his soulmate was strong and capable and important, and could handle anything that came their way. When Bucky laughed and pointed out the crass language, Steve smiled, because he liked the idea of his soulmate not pulling any punches for the sake of being polite.

When a cruel schoolmate finally pointed out the truth- that grey meant his soulmate had either already died or would die before Steve could meet them, Steve decided it was because he wasn’t enough. He found a corner to cry in, and wept until his sobs caused his coughing to wrack his frame as well. 

When he stood up from his corner, though, he decided to never hide in one again. Even if he couldn’t help his spitfire of a soulmate deal with the horrors of the world, maybe he could still make the world a little better so there was less for his soulmate to handle.

When whispers of the war wove across the ocean and made it to his ears, Steve welcomed them and knew that this was what he could do for his soulmate. He argued with anyone that would listen that the grey words were why he needed to go to war; there was no one waiting for him, no future beyond the war for him. 

When Erskine approached him with his offer, Steve took it and took with him the belief that this was how he would really make a difference for his soulmate. Even if he never met them, he could make their life a little easier. 

When he faced the arctic waters and the ticking of the bombs, he faced it like he faced everything else in life, and took solace in the belief that he was never supposed to meet his soulmate any, but mourned he couldn’t do more to help them.

When Steve woke up, he woke up to a new world where his words were steady black, and he could have cried in amazement at the view. They became a guiding force, a reassurance that he will one day belong in this world. 

And so he waited. 

When Fury came to him, Steve knew global warfare didn’t end in the 40s, and he still had a role to play.

When the Avengers were formed, he stuck with them, just like he stuck with Bucky, because they shared his end goal and he knew he could do the most good with them by his side. 

When the battles were over, Steve grabbed a broom and tried to start cleaning up as best he could, knowing that whatever mess he made, his soulmate may be trying to clean up. 

When the Winter Soldier showed up and turned out to be Bucky, Steve stopped waiting and started doing again, because this would definitely constitute as important shit of his own to deal with, and if Bucky was still out there than Steve needed to find him. His soulmate would understand. 

When the accords happened, he supported them despite his worries, because they seemed like the best way to keep the whole global warfare thing to a minimum. And when they fell apart alongside the Avengers, he did everything he could to clean it up and stitch it back together, even if it mean apologizing to Tony. 

When Tony called him up and offered both he and Bucky a home in the tower, he accepted, because it seemed as good a place as any to wait for his soulmate. 

He would wait forever if he had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh so excited that I’ve the itch to write again!!!! I’ve become completely enthralled with the soulmate/soulamrk trope so this is my go at it! This will probably be about 6 chapters, but honestly the fluff just keeps growing so who knows. Also, work title and inspiration is drawn from the incredibly beautiful lyrics of Jason Robert Brown. Take a listen if you want, but know the song does come a little more fully into play in the later chapters. https://youtu.be/UVEkCujOHkg
> 
> Anyways, I’ll probably post the next few chapters within the next week or so, so stay tuned!


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note for the chapter ahead, the quotes indented and italicized are my own way of trying to show these are conversations that happened in the past! 
> 
> See end notes for author babble :)

 

It was a Tuesday, so naturally shit hit the fan.  
Darcy hated Tuesdays. It’s not that good things never happened on Tuesdays, or bad things only happened on Tuesdays, but there seemed to be a statistically large correlation between Tuesdays and catastrophes.  
She liked her job, she really did, it was the kind of behind the scenes work she thrived in, but so much of her work was dealing with Tuesday catastrophes.

> _“What is it again that you want me to do, Ms Potts?”_
> 
> _“I need someone with knowledge about diplomacy and public relations to manage relationships between the Avengers, the press, and the various governments they interact with. You would be in charge of the Public Relations and Outreach Department, technically.”_
> 
> _“You want me to put out fires, clean up their messes, and make sure they don’t piss off too many people.”_
> 
> _“Basically, yes. And please, call me Pepper.”_

On this particular Tuesday, she was getting coffee across the street when her Jarvis called.  
“What’s up, J Man?”  
“Ms Lewis, we have a situation.”  
Darcy sighed and dropped a tip in the jar, moving fluidly to pick up her cup and adjust her earpiece as she walked out the door.  
“Code Turquoise?” She asked hopefully. Tony incidents were always easy to clean up and were sometimes even amusing.  
“Unfortunately, this goes beyond sir. Ms Potts believes it is a code Aquamarine.”

  
Well shit.

  
“Be there in 5. Open the blinds and turn on the tea kettle please.”  
“Of course, Ms Lewis”  
  
When she had originally taken the job, she had restructured the code system to fit the situations that arose in Avengers tower.

> _“Lewis, why is there a color chart on my desk?”_
> 
> _“Because primary colors are boring and to be avoided at all costs, old man, try to keep up with the times.”_

The old standards were easy; teal meant “Tony’s fucked something up”, Magenta meant “may or may not have an issue”, and butternut squash meant “bad press time to do clean up”. Aqua was the worst: “Avengers are avenging and things are getting messy”.

Code Aquas were never fun to deal with. They meant press conferences to set up, therapy appointments to arrange, and media wars wage.

Darcy quickly walked across the street and entered the lobby, pausing to be cleared by the front desk guard “Hi Watts, I’m in a rush but don’t think I forgot about your date last night! You owe me deets, my man.”  
The older man chuckled and buzzed her through to the executive elevator. “Of course, Ms. Darcy.”

  
Giving a last wave, Darcy stepped into the elevator and paused for the retinal scan, ignoring the curious stares her oversized mustard colored sweater and maroon leggings were eliciting. You’d think by now the crowds would be used to seeing her borderline unprofessional outfits.

> _“Look with all due respect, you practically sleep in five inch heels and a pantsuit, and my wardrobe mostly consists of leggings and T-shirt’s with obscure pop culture references.”_
> 
> _“You only have to dress professionally when you’re handling the press, and I will personally take you shopping for proper clothing.”_
> 
> _“You’ve got yourself a deal, Pepper Potts. When do you want me to start?”_

  
“What are we looking at today?” Darcy addressed the empty elevator, adjusting the strap on her large bag.

> _“You need a briefcase, Darcy.”_
> 
> _“How about one of those messenger bags business men carry and pretend aren’t purses?”_
> 
> _“Fine. But only if you let me buy you a leather one.”_

  
_“_ It appears a faction of the Ten Rings has broken off and taken root in the eastern mountain region of India. Insurgents have taken twelve hostages, and show no sign of willingness to negotiate.”  
Darcy swore under her breath “We haven’t established an agreement with India yet.” Their government had taken the end of the accords particularly poorly and India wasn’t exactly a hot bed of activity at the moment, so Darcy had prioritized and hadn’t gotten around to reopening communications with them yet.  
“Correct, Ms. Lewis.” Jarvis affirmed as the doors slid open.  
One of the perks of both living and working in Avengers Tower was that she had a whole floor to herself. She had an office on the corporate floor for meetings and paperwork purposes, but she rarely used it, preferring to work from her own space instead.  
Darcy strode out onto the floor, toeing off her shoes as she stepped across the dark hardwood flooring. To the left was a staircase that led to her lofted bedroom area, but the main floor was her favorite. The wall directly across from the elevator was floor to ceiling glass _,_ and the whole area was characterized by clean lines and soft white tones. 

> _“So help me god, Tony, that better be one way.”_
> 
> _“Lewis! I’m hurt you would doubt me.”_

 The wall to the right housed six different screens she could watch simultaneously, as well as a thin band of a screen stretching along the top of the wall which only functioned to show the current color code.

> _“How can that not stress you out, Darcy?”_
> 
> _“I dunno, Janie, it just keeps me focused. Reminds me of what I’m working with.”_

A large, fluffy white area rug peppered with large pastel throw pillows and low lying table sat in front of it. There was also a large grey sofa sitting on the edge of the rug, but that was more for late night Netflix binges than work purposes. Stretching along the side of the opposite wall and set further back was a small kitchen set up with a high white countertop and all the (mostly) necessary appliances.

> _“Tony when on earth will I ever need an industrial sized ice cream maker?”_
> 
> _“Constant vigilance, Lewis, constant vigilance.”_

It had taken her a while to find the balance between comfort and efficiency, but the end result has served her well.

“Who’s handling it?” Darcy moved swiftly to the center of the rooming, plopping down gracelessly on a large light blue pillow and drawing her tablet from her briefcase.

> _“Lewis, please don’t tell me you run the whole public relations and outreach division of the Avengers Initiative from the floor of your living room.”_
> 
> _“Damn right I do, Barton, now sit your injured ass down and watch me work.”_

“Sir, Dr. Banner, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Captain are approximately 21 minutes out.”  
“Monitor the suit cameras and alert me when live feed is available. Turn screens three through six to BBC, CNN, Fox, and whatever local Indian network seems best.” Darcy sipped her coffee, grimacing at its now cold temperature.  
“Yes Ms Lewis”  
“And get me the Prime Minister’s office as soon as possible please. I want our team landing without worry of an international incident this time” Twisting her hair onto the top of her head and crossing her legs, Darcy got to work.

  
Fifteen minutes later, the elevator doors opened and Pepper strode across the floor with a cup of coffee and a matching expression of determination. Darcy counted it as a win that she was no longer in her customary Louboutins and suit, but similarly attired in a comfortable sweater and leggings. 

> “ _Pepper, as head of the Public Relations and Outreach Division I decree that we sit on the floor. You can’t do that in conference clothes.”_

“Where are we?” Pepper handed Darcy the cup and took the empty one from her, moving to the kitchen and turning off the now hot tea kettle.  
“Uh you angel.” She took a sip greedily, but continued typing at the tablet in front of her, keeping an eye on the screens as well. “Partially invited. UN was no help other than the standard line, but I’ve made it through to the Prime Minister’s office and am waiting for his cabinet to give me the all clear.” A small part of Darcy took a moment to marvel at the sentence that just came out of her mouth.  
“ETA?” Pepper slid onto a pillow next to Darcy, grasping her freshly made mug of tea while setting up her own tablet. This was how they handled code Aquas— Pepper dealt with Stark Industries and Darcy dealt with the rest of the world.  
“4 minutes, Ms Potts” Jarvis smoothly answered, emerging into the conversation once again. “Ms Lewis, if I may, the Prime Minister’s office wishes me to relay that they accept the Avenger’s offer of aid.”  
“Shit thanks Jar” Darcy set down her coffee and tapped her Stark earpiece on. “Tony, you’re good to go. Try not to piss off too many people.”  
“I always do, Lewis”  
“No, you don’t”  
“No, I don’t. But you do and that’s why I pay you.”  
“You don’t pay me Tony, Pepper does. I’ll be watching you so behave. And tell the team to keep things as neat as possible—don’t put Bruce in until absolutely necessary.”  
“You’re the boss, Lewis”  
“Hell yeah I am” Darcy disconnected with a slight grin and turned to Pepper. “No news coverage outside of local channels but I’m expecting that will change once the Quinjet is spotted.”

  
Almost immediately shaky footage of the jet appeared on the local news, and the major networks closely followed less than a minute later.  
“Ms Lewis, live feed is available.”  
“Excellent J man, split it on screens one and two please.” Next to her, Pepper set down her tablet and tightened her grip on her mug, focusing on the screens. Darcy finished up the initial statement and sent it out— yes, the Avengers will be offering assistance to the Indian government at their invitation, and no, they have no further comment. By now, the press knew what to expect from her, even if they only had the vaguest idea of the woman behind the Avengers media department.

>   
>  _“You mean to tell me these networks don’t even know what you look like? You’re at every single public event we do!”_
> 
> _“Tony, I’m on the payroll as just another minion. They don’t look any further than that and I get to run things uninterrupted.”_

Now, however, there was nothing the two women could do but sit and watch, and plan for damage control.

  
Hours later, Darcy had abandoned her seat at the table and was pacing the length of the windows, tapping at her tablet and talking to Jarvis simultaneously. Her hair had grown slightly more disheveled throughout the day, and at one point she had even taken a break to trade out her contacts for glasses.  
The show down had been messy, but nothing too horribly unexpected. The insurgents had been dealt with, the hostages freed, and the team were on their way back. There was the unexpected destruction of the building, but no one had actually died in it.

  
Pepper had left when the team was declared safe, exhaling slowly and washing out her mug before leaving to change and return to her work day.  
The media coverage was nothing new, with each channel putting a spin on the incident to fit their narrative. Local news was grateful, the BBC factual, CNN critical, and FOX, judgmental.  
“Ms Lewis, sir requests your attention.”  
“Put him on, J.”  
“Lewis! Were you worried?” The noise from the jet engine made Tony’s voice seem shaky, but the tone of his teasing reassured her all was normal.  
“Never for you Tony,” she responded drily. “What’s the matter?”  
“Stevie boy wants to apologize— _Steve, come here- no I’ve literally got her on the line_ —hold on a second Lewis” she could hear a terse conversation in the background but continued responding to FOX News (no, this was not an inside job, nor a targeted attack at the Avengers). “Lewis I’m back, but apparently he wants to apologize in person like the good little Boy Scout he is— _don’t scold me, Steve, I’m not even insulting them or you_ —so we’ll see you later. Peace out.”  
“Bye Tony” Darcy absentmindedly hung up.

The Steve thing was unexpected— she had no idea what he felt like he needed to apologize for. The man had just moved back into the tower last week, but Darcy had been so busy reassuring the press that Bucky Barnes was not a threat that she hadn’t had a chance to actually talk to either of them yet. And then of course, Barnes left on his soul searching trip, and Steve had retreated to spending his days in his room.  
Putting it out of her mind and focusing on the situation at hand, she returned to her table and settled in to finalize the press release, wanting to get it out as soon as possible to squelch the rampant speculation.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to update this fic! I’m so excited to see that other people are also excited about this, it’s honestly amazing! Next chapter should be up by the end of the week or earlier, depending on how long I procrastinate tonight lol   
> XOXOXO,  
> Lizzie


	4. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Tis the season- our two favs are finally meeting!  
> Here’s the song I gained inspiration from :)  
> https://youtu.be/CeH5ORLTs-Q

  
Steve fidgeted in the elevator, watching as the numbers rose, and recalled the conversation from the jet ride out.

 

> “ _Alright gang, we finally got the okay from the government but Lewis says to keep things as neat as possible.”_  
>  Steve knew he hadn’t gone on a mission with the team in a while, but still found it strange that the rest of the team merely nodded, taking the instruction in stride.  
>  _“Who’s Lewis?”_ He voiced, wondering who else was calling the shots.  
>  Almost instantaneously, everyone’s eyes zeroed in on him. Tony’s head whipped around and even Natasha’s eyebrows raised in disbelief.  
>  _“Lewis keeps us all together”_ Clint yelled from the pilot seat  
>  _“Is Lewis a handler or something?”_ Steve asked. Tony just cackled, but eventually Bruce took pity on him.  
>  _“She’s basically a one woman army. Technically she’s the liaison between the Avengers and the rest of the world, so she does everything from write our press releases and clean up our messes to negotiating diplomatic arrangements and agreements for us.”_  
>  _“She lives and words at the tower,”_ Natasha volunteered, _“I’m surprised you haven’t seen her before. Runs everything from the forty third floor.”_  
>  _“Floor,”_ Clint sniggered, “ _Literally_.”  
>  _“When we make messes, she gets mad, so don’t be too destructive”_ Bruce offered helpfully. _“Last time Tony pissed her off, she made him do a speech at a safe sex awareness conference.”_  
>  Tony shuddered, muttering under his breath at the memory.  
>  _“Focus boys,”_ Natasha scolded, checking her holsters and standing up, “ _2 minutes out.”_  
>  Pushing the enigmatic woman from his mind, Steve grabbed his shield and ran through the plan again.
> 
>  

When the elevator doors dinged, announcing his arrival, Steve pulled himself back to the present with a wince. He had wanted so badly to comply with the unknown woman’s wishes, but a slightly miscalculated throw of his shield had taken out a key support bean and brought the entire structure down. Considering how big of a mess it made, he thought it would be good to apologize in person, no matter what Tony said, so he had hopped off the jet and taken a quick shower before asking Jarvis to get him to the 43rd floor.  
The doors opened, and Steve stepped out hesitatingly, thrown off by the surprisingly welcoming large space in front of him. The afternoon light streamed in from the wall of windows, casting shadows on the dark haired woman seated at a low table in the middle of the room. He approached cautiously, clearing his throat but not wanting to interrupt. She didn’t even glance up before responding.

  
**_”Listen, I’m sure you’ve got some very important shit you need me to deal with, but I’m trying to clean up this international warfare mess, so I’m going to need you to sit and wait your turn until I can properly deal with it.”_ ** Still not looking at him, the woman motioned distractedly at the assortment of pillows on the floor, then refocused on the screen in front of her.

Steve froze in his tracks, stunned.

Those were the words he had been wanting to hear his entire life, the one thing that remained true throughout all of his life.

  
This was her, his miracle girl, the one he’d been waiting and praying for, and she didn’t even know.

  
He wanted to stand there and capture the moment for as long as possible, but figured he should do as asked, and cautiously lowered himself onto a pillow, settling in and gazing at her profile.

  
He knew, without question, that this was the Lewis who the team spoke so highly of. Her sharp gaze never strayed from the screen in front of her, but her expression changed as different things popped up and demanded her attention. She had dark brown hair that was trying to escape from a pile on the top of her head, and tucked to her side were bare feet with bright purple nail polish that somehow didn’t clash with the rest of her outfit. She was a study in chaos and calm simultaneously.

  
Steve had seen some beautiful sights around the world, but when all is said and done, it all paled in comparison to her.

  
He had no idea how long he sat there, but everything had faded away other than her.

He would have been happy to sit there for hours; he would wait forever for this match of his soul if she asked him to. Thinking, breathing, and even the beating of his own heart all seemed unimportant in comparison to the prospect of actually being with her. He felt his heart constrict as he thought about the future theycould have together. 

  
But first, Steve knew he would actually have to speak. It seemed like such an insurmountable task now, knowing that she had grown up seeing these words and would carry then with them through her entire life. He wanted them to be as special and guiding for her as his own had been.

  
So he sat. And waited. And watched. And thought. 

  
And eventually, she sighed and stretched, finally facing him with a bit of a surprised look on her face. “So sorry about that, I know that I was a little cross earlier, but the press isn’t really known to be patient.” She smiled tiredly and hurried on apologetically, “I do recognize you’ve just fought a battle and traveled across the world and are probably ridiculously tired, so thank you for waiting.”

Steve felt his heart might beat out his chest, but he held her gaze steadily and smiled.

  
_“ **I’ve waited 90 years, fought countless battles, and traveled all across the globe, and yes, I am tired, but I will gladly wait as long as you need me to, because all that fades away with you.”**_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH SORRY FOR THE CLIFF HANGER  
> I was hoping to have both chapters done but finals sucked the life out of me and then of course, I came home and got sick. Never fails.  
> I will seriously get the last chapter up within a day or two though! I just want to do some small edits :)  
> XOXOXOXO,  
> Lizzie


	5. Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *peeks out from corner* forgive me? this took forever. I’m so sorry you had to wait so long.

 

Darcy heard the elevator, but was in the zone and knew she didn’t have time to deal with whoever just stepped through the doors. It was most likely Tony—Pepper wouldn’t be back from her meeting yet, and Tony could certainly wait.  
She heard the person clear their throat, but had already started talking.

  
_**“Listen, I’m sure you’ve got some very important shit you need to deal with, but I’m trying to clean up this international warfare mess, so I’m going to need you to sit and wait your turn until I can properly deal with it.”** _

  
She stopped really paying attention at that point, registering that he had sat down a ways off, but staying focused on the briefing in front of her. The Avengers had agreed to pay for the damages to, considering it was a public building, and she wanted to get an official statement out there before the press caught wind of it.

  
Eventually, she finished and hit send, rubbing at her neck and trying to stretch out the sore spot developing. Darcy turned and internally froze for a moment, surprised to see that the figure sitting criss cross applesauce on her floor was large and blonde, and most certainly not Tony. And quite possibly the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

  
“So sorry about that, I know that I was a little cross earlier, but the press isn’t really known to be patient.” She smiled, trying to be warm, but worried she may have just pissed off Captain America (dear god she swore at him earlier, didn’t she?) “I do recognize you’ve just fought a battle and traveled across the world and are probably ridiculously tired, so thank you for waiting.”

Thankfully, he didn’t seem all that angry, and a slow smile stretched across his face. Darcy’s breath caught in her throat, and she internally scolded herself to be professional.

_**“I’ve waited 90 years, fought more battles than I can count, and traveled all across the globe multiple times, and yes, I am tired, but I will gladly go through it all again, because all that fades away with you.”** _

If her breath had caught earlier, it completely escaped then, and took with it all rational thought.

“You said my words” Darcy breathed out in amazement  
“Yes ma’am”  
“You’re actually here”  
“I’m sorry you had to wait so long” the smile on his face grew tender and before she could actually register the movement, she had scrambled upright and moved to kneel on the back of her heels in front of where he sat, hands folded neatly in his lap, on that ridiculous pink pillow.  
“Can I...” Darcy reached for him but paused, realizing just how odd her request was going to sound.  
“Yes” he said unhesitatingly, not relinquishing eye contact for a second. The implied trust she read in him was astonishing.  
Darcy reached out slowly, feeling a little in awe as she gently let her hand rest on his face. He slowly reached up and placed his hand on hers, turning to brush a kiss across her wrist.  
“I thought I might not ever find you,” he breathed shakily, his voice tinged with the same awe she felt.  
“I thought I would have to wait till we were old and grey” Darcy laughed shakily, feeling joy warm her heart, and sliding her hand down to rest on the side of his neck. His arms snaked to wrap around her waist, and she marveled at how perfectly they sat there.  
She met his quizzical gaze and elaborated, “90 years? That’s a long time.” Darcy brought her other hand up to rest on the other side of his neck, marveling at the fact that she was allowed to do this.  
“Oh,” he breathed with wide eyes, “I thought so carefully about what to say but that never even occurred to me...”  
She smiled softly but said firmly, “No don’t apologize. It gave me the freedom to live my life however I wanted, with the knowledge that you’d be there at the end.”  
“I’m sorry to derail your plan, but I don’t think I can wait that long,” Steve’s eyes danced with mirth as he tightened his hold a little bit, bringing his head down, closer to her own.  
“I think we’ve both done enough waiting, soldier.” Darcy smiled a little, and then pushed up on her knees just enough to capture his lips with her own. She meant for it to be short and sweet, but it quickly turned desperate as they both poured out years and years of emotion.

By the time they broke apart for air, she had somehow managed to straddle his lap, his arms wrapping around her completely and his hands resting on her rib cage. While she was trying to catch her breath, she dimly registered the elevator doors opening.  
“Hey Lewis, has Captain Tightpants apologized yet? I swear, it was him who took down the building, not me. He was all—” Tony paused his rambling as he finally looked up from his tablet and blinked owlishly at the sight in front of him.  
“Tony,” Darcy began warningly, trying to stave off the snarky comments undoubtedly forming in his mind. She felt Steve drop his head onto her shoulder, hiding his face from his most sarcastic team member.  
“How come he gets to apologize with a hot and heavy make out session and I have to speak to a bunch of pre pubescent brats about STDs??” The outrage in his voice made her want to laugh, but instead she narrowed her eyes at the whiny billionaire and addressed the room at large.  
“Jarvis?”  
“Yes Ms Lewis?”  
“If Mr. Stark does not vacate the floor within the next 30 seconds, disable access to the labs for the next 48 hours.”  
“I’m going, I’m going, Lewis, geez, no need to get grumpy” Tony moved quickly to the elevators, jabbing the button repeatedly, but couldn’t resist yelling a final remark as the doors were closing, “Use protection!”  
“That man has impeccable timing,” Steve remarked drily as he brought his head back up.  
Darcy groaned and this time it was her turn to drop her head into Steve’s neck, feeling the laughter vibrate through him as he sifted to gather her closely to his chest so she was seated on one side of his lap, her face now resting against his shoulder. If he had been anyone else, there is no way this would have been comfortable, but his ridiculously strong arms were able to fully support her back and hold her close.  
“Jarvis?”  
“Yes Ms Lewis?”  
“Please activate program DNS”  
“Yes Ms Lewis. Goodnight.”

“What’s program DNS?” She felt Steve press a kiss onto the top of her head and smiled a little dazedly, curling her fists up to gather in the front of his shirt.  
“It’s code for Darcy Needs Sleep. I usually activate it after dealing with crises. Means no one can access me without the override code.”  
“And who has the override code?”  
“Pepper. She’d never use it though. She knows how much I need my sleep.” Almost as if on cue, Darcy yawned, and Steve chuckled lightly, rubbing her leg slowly.  
“Maybe we should get you to bed, then,” he remarked a little ruefully.  
“Why, Captain Rogers!” Darcy gasped dramatically, sitting up a little, his arm shifting to support her still, “Are you trying to get me into bed?”  
Although he tried valiantly, the blush still creeped up Steve’s neck and colored his checks.  
“You know what I meant”  
“I do,” she pressed a quick peck to his cheek, “but I’m proposing a different plan. You come to bed,” his breath huffed out shakily as she snaked her hands back up to his neck, “with me,” she kissed his other cheek and the hands supporting her waist tightened briefly before she met his eyes again. “If I’m this tired, I can’t imagine how tired you are, so how about we nap first, and then continue getting to know each other.” She pressed her lips to his again and this time the kiss stayed soft and sweet, ending as she pulled back to meet his gently teasing gaze.  
“I suppose I can wait a little longer, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to let you go anytime soon.”  
“Well, we have to get to my room somehow.” Darcy chuckled and started to get up, but found herself instead completely leaving the floor as Steve shifted her fully into his arms and stood up simultaneously.  
“You were saying?,” He grinned mischievously and Darcy let out a full body laugh before pointing towards the stairs  
“Lead on, my trustworthy steed.” Steve moved steadily and assuredly, and Darcy couldn’t help but wonder how she got so lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *still hiding behind the corner* didya like it???  
> I’m seriously BLOWN AWAY by all your reviews! They are so encouraging to me and make writing so much easier and fun. Sending virtual hugs to all of you! (Or if you don’t like hugs there are high fives available too)


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